When Kentucky head coach Mark Pope stepped up to defend his team’s struggles at the free-throw line, he did what any good coach would do-he had his players’ backs. But when he chalked up the misses to fatigue and who’s getting to the line, that explanation raised more questions than it answered.
Let’s start with what Pope actually said: “Been a little bit hit or miss on free throws. ... Sometimes that's who's getting to the line more often.
Are you getting your best free-throw shooters to the line? Sometimes it's a little bit of a fatigue issue.
We've been playing some of our guys really, really long minutes. ... Really, the biggest impact on finishing is having the discretion to take high-quality shots at the rim."
It’s a fair point that shot selection at the rim has been a problem-Kentucky’s been driving into traffic and hoping for whistles that don’t come. That’s not a sustainable strategy, and it’s showing up in the numbers.
The Wildcats are converting just 55.4% of their layups this season, which is well below what you'd expect from a team with this much athleticism. That’s not just about bad luck or officiating-it’s about decision-making.
Too often, Kentucky players are going downhill without a plan, absorbing contact, and tossing up prayers. That’s not finishing strong-that’s hoping for a bailout.
But when it comes to the free-throw line, blaming fatigue doesn’t hold up under the microscope.
Let’s dig into the Florida game for a snapshot. Otega Oweh (71% FT), Denzel Aberdeen (80%), and Chandler (82%) all logged heavy minutes-37, 37, and 34 respectively.
Combined, they went 8-for-12 from the stripe, or 66%. The rest of the team, playing lighter minutes, went 10-for-13.
So, sure, maybe there's a slight dip, but it’s not exactly a smoking gun.
Now let’s go broader.
Across college basketball, there are plenty of high-minute players who still knock down their free throws at a high clip. Christian Bliss at Delaware is playing nearly 40 minutes a night and shooting 82.9%.
Christian Anderson at Texas Tech is logging 38.8 minutes with a 77.1% rate. Jake Heidbreder at Fresno?
He’s at 89.8% while playing 36.9 minutes per game. And Michael James from Mississippi Valley State is shooting a scorching 90.9% while playing 36.8 minutes a night.
In fact, among the top nine players in minutes per game across the country, five are shooting as well or better than Kentucky’s top-minute guys. Only one is shooting worse than Oweh.
So no, this isn’t a minutes problem. This is a mechanics and mentality problem.
Free throws are about repetition, muscle memory, and mental toughness. You either put in the work or you don’t.
And that starts way before players reach the college level. Today’s generation of players spends hours perfecting flashy handles and deep threes, but the fundamentals-like free throws-sometimes take a backseat.
It shows.
And here’s the thing: free throws matter. A lot.
According to data from 82games, in over 5% of games, the losing team would’ve won if they had just shot 78% from the line. That’s not a small number. That’s potentially two wins a season-just by being average at the stripe.
Now apply that to Kentucky’s season. Against North Carolina, they lost by three and missed five free throws.
Against Missouri, it was a five-point loss with seven misses. Against Florida, a nine-point loss with ten misses.
We’re not saying they’d win all of those games by hitting a few more, but momentum shifts fast in college hoops. A couple of makes in crunch time changes how the final minutes play out.
No team is going to be perfect from the line, but Kentucky doesn’t need perfection-they just need to be reliable. And that starts with accountability and reps.
If you want to win close games in March, you’ve got to make your freebies. It’s that simple.
So yes, Pope is doing his job defending his players. But if Kentucky wants to turn close losses into wins, the solution isn’t less fatigue-it’s more focus at the line.